There was a time when drinking a cocktail to meant imbibing something sickly sweet and/or girly (like a Cosmo) or far too much alcohol than my 5-foot-one-inch frame can withstand. So I stuck with my fume blancs, malbecs and cabernets.

Well the explosion of craft cocktails changed my perspective. I now peruse a restaurant’s cocktail selection even before I scan the wine list. There’s so much time and thought that goes into these complex flavors. Bartenders are now like modern-day alchemists.

Of course, mixing these complex craft cocktails takes time and on a busy Saturday night, it helps to have a shortcut. In comes cocktails on tap — premixed cocktails that come out of a barrel or tap (similar to beer). I spoke with manager and/or bartenders at Bookmakers Cocktail Club in Federal Hill; Downtown Baltimore’s B&O American Brasserie; Mount Vernon’s Ware House 518 (formerly Creme Restaurant & Lounge); Canton’s Fork & Wrench and Of Love and Regret; and, Harbor East’s Wit & Wisdom for this Baltimore Sun story.